Ever After
by T'Ley
Summary: A “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” story. Possible AU: alternate universe . SaraGrissom pairing. The whole lab is awaiting a very important phone call. But what is it? Complete.


Rating: PG (just to be safe)

Spoilers: Features events from Season Five: "_Viva Las Vegas_" and Season One: _"Pilot"_. Title references _Ever After_ (1998)

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, except when they are. The settings and locations are not mine, except when they are. The plots, conflicts, and resolutions ARE mine, except when they're not.

Reviews/Feedback: CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcome. Any suggestions you may have on how to make my story better will be greatly appreciated.

P.S. If you are a Grissom/Catherine 'shipper, I would strongly suggest that you find an alternate means of entertainment.

The entire Las Vegas crime lab appeared to have come to a standstill. Granted, everyone's mind was elsewhere anyway, but fate actually seemed to be cooperating by bringing all crime in the city to a complete halt. The problem was that with no work to distract them, nobody had anything to do but wait. Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes stood in the break room, drinking coffee out of white Styrofoam cups. Catherine Willows, who was in charge of shift that night, sat in her office (or cupboard, as she called it) rereading paperwork that she had completed over half an hour ago. Greg Sanders sat in the DNA lab, drumming on the countertop with two ballpoint pens.

Nick drank the last dregs of his coffee, crushed the empty cup, and tossed it into the garbage. "I'm going to check with Catherine," he said aloud before walking out of the room. Warrick turned and followed him. They reached the open door to Catherine's office and Nick rapped on the doorframe before he and Warrick poked their heads inside. "Anything?" Nick asked. Catherine didn't even bother to lift her head. "Nothing," she said, though she was unsure whether Nick was referring to any work that needed to be done or the news that they were all waiting so impatiently for. The statement applied equally to both. "How long does this sort of thing usually take?" Nick wanted to know. Catherine, who was the only one of the three with experience in this area, responded with, "First time, it could be a while."

Just then, police Detective Captain Jim Brass approached from the corridor. He shooed Nick and Warrick aside in order to talk to Catherine. Catherine looked up. "Please tell me you have something," she said. Brass shook his head. "I just came to see if there was any news," he said. "No." Catherine replied. At that moment, the phone on Catherine's desk rang insistently. She answered it. "Willows," she responded. "Yes. Uh-huh. Ok." The three men in the vicinity strained their ears, trying to hear the other end of the conversation. "Alright. Thank you." Catherine said before hanging up. Three pairs of eyes turned towards her. Nick was the first to speak. "Well?" he asked. Catherine smiled. "It's a girl."

Upon arriving at the hospital, Catherine and company found Sara Sidle lying in bed, cradling her new baby. Her husband, Gil Grissom, sat in a chair beside her. Their faces had the glow that is only found in new parents. "Hi, guys." Sara called as the party entered the room. Grissom immediately got everyone's attention. "Watch this," he said. Very gently, Grissom touched his finger to the center of his daughter's palm. They all watched as her tiny fingers closed around it in a fist. Grissom's face lit up like a kid in a candy store. "It's a reflex action." Grissom said, and went on to explain in detail. Greg Sanders saved them all the science lesson by choosing that exact moment to walk through the door.

"Hey, boss. Hey, Sara. Sorry I'm late, but no one bothered to tell me what was going on. Judy, you know, the secretary, saw you guys all leaving the lab in a hurry and, deductive genius that I am, I figured the rest out for myself."

"That's nice, Greggo." Nick said sarcastically. Greg noticed the pink blanket that the baby was wrapped in. "So, what's her name?" he asked. "Holly." Grissom answered. "We named her Holly." The visitors in the room all nodded and observed a moment of silence for the fallen CSI. "Holly Grissom." Catherine said at last. "I think I like the sound of that."


End file.
